There are a number of processes that are used to separate a composite fluid into components. Some examples of composite fluids that are separated include biological fluids, which may include an aqueous component and one or more cellular components, e.g., whole blood. Separation of whole blood may occur as part of an apheresis procedure, which may be performed on apheresis machines. The machines remove whole blood from a donor, separate the blood, collect one or more blood components from the donor and return the other component(s) to the donor.
Some apheresis machines utilize centrifugal force to separate blood into components. These machines therefore include a centrifuge, which spins at relatively high rotations per minute (rpm). Accordingly, it is important that all components of the machine are safely positioned to avoid failure of any part of the machine when the centrifuge operates at high rpm. When the centrifuge is operating at high rpm any component that breaks may cause catastrophic failure of the machine if it strikes any portion of the centrifuge rotating at a high rpm.
Embodiments of the present invention have been made in light of these and other considerations. However, the relatively specific problems discussed above do not limit the applicability of the embodiments of the present invention to the specific problems.